OR: You mentioned a streaming option. Can you tell us a little bit about what it would be like this year, and if we can see these marquee guests on the stream if we can’t go in person?
DC: First off, last year we had three tracks streaming. This time, we have two channels streaming and one of them will be the live presentations of most of the events from the main ballroom plus the parade, which is a whole another topic. Plus the Masquerade and the costume contest. That’s all going to be on main streaming.
Secondly, we wanted to make something different, so we have original content created by our tracks that is going to run all weekend. And that content is going to be panels done via Zoom or other means that were taken care of and recorded over the summer to give a unique perspective and fan discussion. That’s probably not where you’re going to see the big guests, for the big guests are going to be over in the main track.
But previously, we had a system where our third track was our classic Dragon Con- some of the best panels we’ve every had, some of the best Masquerades, some of the best stuff. I, myself, got to watch a Battlestar Galatica that I saw in 2008 before I was leadership at Dragon Con when I was just a guy helping people find the bathrooms. And there is so much cool stuff, but what we have is a new provider for content, and all of the information will be at [the Dragon Con website].
But the new provider is going to give us those two new channels live, and they are going to have the cool content I’ve talked about, plus yesterday’s content available through a menu very similar to Roku or Netflix, where you’re going to be able to go through and search for panels and be able to watch other things that’ve occurred. And it’s going to be much more streamlined and much more reliable.
We did have some technical glitches last year, but even with the technical glitches, we had 600.000 unique viewers of content on six continents. So we kind of nailed it.
OR: How long are the streaming memberships good for this year?
DC: They are extended out through the summer, I cannot remember if it was all the way to next Dragon Con, but it goes past that March deadline that we’ve had in the past. And this is actually our fourth year streaming.
And here, this might be interesting to throw in: I’m not a full-time Dragon Con employee. I’m a Dragon Con volunteer- even in my position.
Dragon Con is made up of volunteers. At our first Dragon Con, we had 1,700 attendees and I heard people joke that that included the busboys. What’s so fantastic is that now we use 2,300 volunteers to make the show run. Even with the reduced attendance, we’re still going to need all the volunteers and we’re happy to have anyone that hasn’t been able to get a badge, and wants to take advantage of our volunteer system and contribute to the show and see some stuff on the inside while still seeing Dragon Con in a unique way.
“I like to tell people that with thirty-five hundred hours of programming, minus the room cleaning this year, and with hotels and thousands and thousands of attendees and hundreds and hundreds of guests, it’s really hard for even me to keep track of everything at Dragon Con.”
OR: For those folx who are interested in the anime track at Dragon Con this year, what guests can people look forward to?
DC: I think the big shining star in anime is that we are getting Dino Andrade– you might know him from [New] Looney Tunes as well as World of Warcraft and anime.
But probably, one of my favorite guests of Dragon Con when she can make it is Samantha Inoue-Harte. She is an actress, she is a producer, she is an animator, she is a special effects make-up artist. She is also a personal friend of mine, but I would like to point out that she is just amazing. She spends half of her year in Japan and half of her year in Texas, where she is responsible for a lot of the producing of the American versions but also working directly in Japanese because she is a fluent Japanese speaker from childhood. She grew up in Japan at some point of her life, I believe. But Sammi goes back back and forth, and she is so critical to some of the anime that people like such as Sword Art Online. She’s worked a lot with Rooster Teeth and American animation. But she always has one or two projects that she can’t talk about for six months, and then after six months you’re just blown away. So if you’re wanting to see somebody talk about anime from an insider point of view- it’s Sammi.
OR: What are the changes with gaming this year- both video games and board games?
DC: Our video game and board gaming tracks are playing close attention to the virus, and they want to make sure everybody is going to be safe. One of the features that we have across the convention is that we will be closing areas for deep cleaning. That includes gaming. So normally, we are in AmericasMart twenty-four seven for five days, but we won’t be able to do that this year. We need to make sure everybody’s safe- so we will be closing down the gaming section in the late evening, and then we will move to our overnight gaming spot in the Westin hotel. If you’ve been to Dragon Con before, then you know it is right next door to AmericasMart. While AmericasMart is being cleaned overnight, the overnight folx will be playing their games.
And the one thing we’re asking everyone who’s coming to Dragon Con is to understand that the gaming area, just because of the size and configuration in AmericasMart and for the safety of everybody, we will not be allowing spectators to just go through the gaming area. And I do it every year, I just take a couple times to go through. I’m a gamer, but I don’t play games at conventions- especially while I am working. But I understand that this year, I won’t be doing that because we are asking guests to not go to the gaming area. If you want to get a board game and play, then you’re playing in the gaming area.
See [the Dragon Con boardgaming website] for more information from the gaming staff, but with that, we also expanded our gaming streaming- including streaming board games. We’re excited about our broadcasting experience- we’re going to be broadcasting horror-based games through YouTube and other venues. That’s going to show a different aspect of gaming. I don’t know if you’re a board gamer, but there are a lot of horror board games out there.
OR: Dragon Con is not just about seeing William Shatner or the cast of The Boys or boardgaming. There are a lot of off-beat tracks and panels too. Are there any that you’re particularly looking forward to seeing this year in your spare time or after the convention on streaming?
DC: A couple of things I’m looking forward to seeing are outside of the realm of tracks- and we are up to 40 tracks. I try to stop in at the military sci-fi, because I am a big Stargate fan, and I love to see Stargate fans. I’m going to try to get into some of the comics’ tracks this year. But some of the things that I’ve really wanted to do this year that I’ve been neglecting is that I have so many friends who are musicians who are playing at Dragon Con this year, and I am definitely going to try to see Hyperspace, try to see Frenchy and the Punk this year- try to see my friends Valentine Wolfe. These are people I’ve met through the convention world, but I never get to see them at Dragon Con, and this year I will.
It’s not just music that I like- I want to go to the art show. Just really relax and enjoy that art show. The art show has a juried panel where they give out prizes and awards to those artists who submitted their work for presentation. But there’s so much art to buy, so much art to see, the artists themselves are amazing, and it just is something fantastic to add to everything else.
And there’s no doubt that I’m hoping to see some of the ‘big’ panels.
And Thursday, for the first time in four years, I’m going to get to see wrestling. And even though I’m not a wrestling fan- once they show up, I am a wrestling fan like I’ve always been a wrestling fan. It’s so much fun.
OR: Will filking be making a return this year?
DC: Absolutely. Filk, and my shoutout to everybody on the Filk track and everything they do. Filk, for those people who don’t know, is a typo of ‘folk’ music that ended up referring to a type of music that is specifically dedicated to nerd culture. Some people may have heard of ‘Potter rock’, which is definitely a filk attribute. And we’re going to have some folx like that. Some of the people mentioned are going to be attached to both the filk track and to the concourse panels, and they will be having concerts when they perform in the concourse.
We’ve got two hotels where we’ve got bands playing- what would have been nearly 24 hours a day has now turned into they play for an hour, and then the stage is empty for an hour, and then they play for an hour. And that is to make sure that there is plenty of social distancing in the area.
OR: Will people be able to buy memberships for next year’s Dragon Con at this year’s Dragon Con?
DC: Absolutely- that is the easiest question you’ve asked. You’ll be able to purchase your membership for next year at a much, much reduced rate. I don’t know exactly what it is, but you can expect a 50-percent savings or more.
OR: Will people who only have a streaming membership be able to buy a membership for next year’s in-person [event] through the online store?
DC: They’ll be able to buy it online the same day that it is available in the store.
OR: And what about merch like this year’s double-headed plush baby dragon or ornaments or anything else that Dragon Con sells every year?
DC: Anything that is going to be at the Dragon Con store should be available online, depending on availability. I don’t want to make a commitment to everything, because there may be limited edition items that are only available in person.
But I would expect most things to be available in both places.
OR: Last couple of questions- for your most hardcore of hardcore of Dragon Con fans, the Eternal membership members. What do you have planned for them this year?
DC: Well, unfortunately, the Eternals party that is normally hosted by Dragon Con has been suspended just as the superhero party has been suspended and my own media party has been suspended. And it has to do with a lot of things- normally what happens with the Eternals is between the Eternals support team within Dragon Con and the Eternals themselves. And since I’m not an Eternal, I don’t get a lot of information directly.
OR: Where can people find out the latest about updated COVID restrictions and about Dragon Con updates?
DC: [Dragon Con Update Page] is the most accurate place to find that information. I found myself actually misinformed of something- [and] I had to go to that same webpage and get corrected and it worked out fine, because I’m now completely clear on Dragon Con policy.
I like to tell people that with 3,500 hours of programming, minus the room cleaning this year, and with hotels and thousands and thousands of attendees and hundreds and hundreds of guests, it’s really hard for even me to keep track of everything at Dragon Con. And that’s why I rely upon the updates page and I recommend you do too.
OR: Is there an app this year?
DC: There is, it is already updated. I am searchable in it- ‘Dan Carroll’. And if you look at my schedule, and I don’t know if you can see it, it is mostly concerts that I am going to this year.
But it is updated, which is amazing. It is updated a good 10 days early this year, so we are really happy about that.
OR: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.
Are you planning on attending Dragon Con this year, in-person or virtually? If so, what panels are you hoping to see?
Let us know in the comments below!
